


All our life is but a dream

by theinvisiblesideuniverse



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, Gen, Post-Calamity Ganon, Song Lyrics, and plays for zelda, can be read as platonic and romantic, link can play an instrument, not much dialogue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2021-01-26 09:15:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21371746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theinvisiblesideuniverse/pseuds/theinvisiblesideuniverse
Summary: Zelda discovers a skill Link learned on his journey, namely playing an instrument.He plays a song for her which makes her think about their past and the people they have become in the time they spend apart.(It`s kind of cute actually.)
Relationships: Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 27





	All our life is but a dream

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the characters and I do not own the song ( Northern Downpour by Panic! At the Disco).

Princesss Zelda of Hyrule was exhausted.  
Spending the better part of today riding through the vast landscapes of her kingdom, mostly in silence was not something she particulary enjoyed anymore.  
Her bones felt heavy.  
Her emerald eyes were itching with tiredness.  
Her blonde hair laid flat against her head, plastered there by her own sweat.  
In short she wanted nothing more than to settle down for the night, which she promptly told her knight riding beside her.

Link looked back at her with eyes as tired as her own and nodded, a subtle smile gracing his lips.  
He directed his Epona off the path they‘ve been traveling on and led her deeper into the forest until they reached a small clearing with a small pond that was surrounded by tall rocks.

While the princess took a short bath, the hero lightened some wood with a Great Flameblade to create a small campire for them.  
Zelda‘s pointed ears twitched a little, having heard someone‘s voice drifting through the twilight of the early late afternoon.  
She lowered herself further into the cool water and quietly swam towards one of the stones shielding her from the rest of the clearing and peeked around it cautiously.

Their little clearing was empty, save for Link and herself.  
_Whose voice did I hear, _thought Zelda curiously, already putting it off as a symptom of her exhaustion.

She decided to join her knight at the campfire and went through the materials Link stored in the Sheikah-Slate to find something to eat. Not feeling like eating anything fancy, she took an apple out of the inventory. Curious as to what her knight had aquired throughout his journey, Zelda shifted further after handing Link another apple.  
Reaching the last page, the princess was visibly suprised.

"Link? Is that...“

Link´s ears perked up at being adressed after their companiable silence. He cocked his head to the side slightly, wordlessly asking her to continue.

„There is a guitar in your inventory... is it yours?“

He nodded, frowning as if to ask “And?“  
Zelda sighed.

“I just did´t know you could play.“ 

A wave of sadness washed over the young princess. Since their reunion after the Calamty`s defeat a few weeks back, she often times discovered how much of a stranger Link has become in the years the´ve been seperated. Most of the time he was his old stoic but kind self that she was used to, but then he did something so drastically foreign that she was immidiatly reminded of all the memories he made without her. The memories he lost.

Link reached for the Sheikah-Slate in her hand with an almost shy expression on his face.  
Quickly tapping on a the display, the guitar she saw on the screen between his horse gear, materialized in his lap and he put the device on the ground next to him.  
He smiled a little unsurely at the princess and lowered his gaze towards the instrument.  
Strumming a few gentle notes, he raised his cerulean eyes for a brief moment and started to play a simple melody.

Zelda leaned back against the tree behind her and closed her eyes to listen.  
She couldn´t recognize the that song Link was playing but quickly came to the conclusion that it was one of the prettiest she ever had the pleasure of hearing, despite it´s simplicity.

"If all our life is but a dream...“, Zelda‘s eyes snapped open at hearing the quiet, soft voice of her usually silent protector. She stared at his lowered head intensly, willing him to look up so she could see what he was thinking. His head stayed down, focused on his fingers gliding over the strings, setting free a melody to make the night a little less dark.  
“...we should feed our jewelery to the sea,  
for diamonds do appear to be,  
just like broken glass to me...“

The words that left Link´s mouth were downright puzzling to the princess, describing things in such fantastical ways that their meaning became obscure almost, leaving her with a strange longing she couldn´t explain.  
She realized it must be a song that was written in the century she spend fightng in Hyrule Castle, because both the things the song was talking about and the way it was doing it, were entirely foreign and nothing like the songs that were performed at court.

"...Hey moon, please forget to fall down,  
hey moon, don't you go down..."

_Pleading the moon to stay in the sky, what a strange request to make_, Zelda thought almost lazily. The calm nostalgia the song was causing, making her feel at peace for the first time in over a week. Since Link freed her from her battle against the Calamity, everything was hectic during the day and her thoughts kept her up at night.  
Some nights she found herself wishing that the night may never end, so Zelda herself may have a chance at getting a decent amount of rest.  
_Maybe that is what those lines are about, not wanting the night to end just to have some more time,_ Zelda wondered.

Link´s voice had gained in confidence during the chorus, was now far more than the hushed sounds from the start. Smoothly he went into the second verse until his voice caught on the last two lines:  
"...I know the world's a broken bone,  
but melt your headaches, call it home...“

The knight looked up at his princess as if directing that specific line at her. Once again Zelda found herself stunned at the imagery used in the song and it took her a second to discern the meaning behind those two lines. Her thoughts came to a sudden stop, shocked at the impact Link´s words had at her._ I know the world seems to be broken and out to hurt you, but don´t worry, it´s gonna be okay. You´re safe._

Strumming the last few chords, Link ended the song with the words:  
"You are at the top of my lungs,  
drawn to the ones who never yawn.“

Shyly Link looked at Zelda through his bangs, wordlessly putting the instrument back into the inventory.  
He drank some water to soothe his sensitive throat, something at least that Zelda recognized from their countless travels pre-Calamity.

“I learned it from a Rito, in case you were wondering...“, he trailed off, still not used to really communicate with another person of his age again, let alone someone who knew him. A friend.

"Thank you, Link.“  
For what, Zelda wasn´t so sure herself.  
_Thank you for saving Hyrule._  
_Thank you for saving me._  
_Thank you for being a constant in my life again._  
_Thank you for understanding my pain._  
_Thank you for your trust._  
_Thank you for being my friend._  
_Thank you..._


End file.
